Method of playing a card game

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention comprise a method of playing a card game, comprising; providing at least one playing card to each of at least two participants to begin a hand; performing at least one round of betting, wherein each of the at least one round of betting comprises each of the at least two participants successively choosing between placing a bet, not placing a bet or surrendering the at least one playing card; and determining at least one winning participant, wherein if a participant choosing to surrender the at least one playing card causes action in the hand to end, then a value of a remaining amount of a predetermined number of at least one community playing card is revealed to the at least two participants.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention generally relates to a method for playing a cardgame and, more particularly, to a method of playing a variation ofpoker.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, casino card games have seen an increased popularity. Inparticular, poker has received considerable attention. A wide range ofvariations exist with regard to the game play of poker, with eachvariation having its own set of rules and betting structure. The vastmajority of variations fall within two distinct categories, known asstud and community card games.

Community card games involve multiple rounds of distributing playingcards to the game participants (“players”), each followed by a round ofbetting. For example, each player may receive a predetermined number ofcards for personal use and a second predetermined number of cards forall players to use (“community cards”). The cards for personal use maybe given to the player either face up, face down, or a combinationthereof. The community cards may be distributed one at a time or ingroups of varying amounts prior to each round of betting.

In each round of betting each participant chooses whether to place abet, refrain from betting, increase a previous wager, or surrender hiscards (“fold”). In the event that a player chooses to fold, he forfeitsthe opportunity to participate in the remainder of the hand, therebyforfeiting any bets already placed up until that point. Typically, abetting structure is established before the game begins. In each roundof betting, any player who wishes to remain in the hand mustcontinuously match (“call”) or increase (“raise”) the highest amountpreviously wagered. A round may continue up until a predetermined numberof turns for each player. As a result, at the end of any given round,all players who remain in the hand must have placed an equal amount ofbets.

In each round of betting, any player who chooses to fold his cards mustsurrender all cards received in that round to the dealer. In the eventthat all the players except for one player surrender their cards, thehand ends and the remaining player is the winner. In such an event theremaining community cards that have not been dealt are not revealed tothe players. However, by not allowing the players to view the value ofthe unrevealed community cards, the players are forced to base theirplaying strategy on limited information.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved method of playingvariations of poker.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention comprise a method of playing a cardgame, comprising; providing at least one playing card to each of atleast two participants to begin a hand; performing at least one round ofbetting, wherein each of the at least one round of betting compriseseach of the at least two participants successively choosing betweenplacing a bet, not placing a bet or surrendering the at least oneplaying card; and determining at least one winning participant, whereinif a participant choosing to surrender the at least one playing cardcauses action in the hand to end, then a value of a remaining amount ofa predetermined number of at least one community playing card isrevealed to the at least two participants.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention, briefly summarized above anddiscussed in greater detail below, can be understood by reference to theillustrative embodiments of the invention depicted in the appendeddrawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended figuresillustrate only exemplary embodiments of this invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the inventionmay admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a method for playing a card game in accordance withsome embodiments of the present invention.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of oneembodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments withoutfurther recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method forplaying a card game. The inventive method includes a method for playinga variation of poker, for example community card poker games such asTexas Hold'em, Omaha Hold'em, or the like. The inventive method mayadvantageously allow game participants to view the value of otherwiseunseen community playing cards, thereby allowing players to adjust theirrespective playing strategies for future hands accordingly.

FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a method for playing a card game in accordance withsome embodiments of the present invention. To best understand theinvention, the reader should refer simultaneously to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The method 100 comprises a single hand, which may be repeated any numberof times to constitute a full game. For example, a full game maycomprise of continually playing hands until all but one player resigns,a predetermined number of hands, a predetermined time frame in which anynumber of hands may occur, or the like. It is to be understood that themethod 100 may be performed using various betting structures inaccordance with different forms of community card-based poker games,such as Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hold'em, or the like. For example, in someembodiments, prior to beginning the method 100 at 102, all participantsin the game may be required to place an initial minimum bet (“ante”) toparticipate in the hand. In some embodiments, such as embodimentsconforming to the standard betting structure of Texas Hold'em, theparticipant to the immediate left of the dealer is required to place aninitial bet of a first predetermined amount (“small blind”) and theparticipant to the left of the participant placing the small blind isrequired to place an initial bet of a second predetermined amount (“bigblind”).

The method 100 begins at 102, where at least one playing card isprovided to the game participants. In some embodiments, the at least oneplaying card may be a “community card”, that is, the at least one cardis provided for use by all the players simultaneously. In someembodiments, at least one playing card may be a “hole card”, that is,the at least one playing card may be provided to each participant foruse only by the respective participant receiving the at least oneplaying card. In such embodiments, all participants receive the sameamount of playing cards, however, any amount of playing cards may beprovided. For example, each participant may receive between 1 and 4playing cards. In some embodiments, such as in community card gamesfollowing standard Texas Hold'em rules, each participant may receive 2hole cards. In some embodiments, such as in community card gamesfollowing standard Omaha Hold'em rules, each participant may receive 4hole cards.

The playing cards provided to each participant may be positioned so thatthe value of the playing card is visible to every participant (“faceup”) or may be provided so that the value of the playing card may bevisible to only the respective participant receiving the playing card(“face down”). In some embodiments, for example where each participantreceives more than one playing card, the playing cards may be providedsuch that a first amount of playing cards are provided face up and asecond amount of cards are provided face down. For example, aparticipant may receive 1 card face up and 1 card face down, 2 cardsface down and 1 card face up, 4 cards face down, or any othercombination of face up and face down cards. In some embodiments, forexample in embodiments conforming to standard Texas Hold'em rules, aparticipant may receive 2 hole cards positioned face down.

The playing cards may be provided to each participant in any order, forexample each participant may be provided one card at a time startingwith a designated participant and proceeding in a clockwise or counterclockwise manner until all participants are provided the same amount ofplaying cards.

Next at 104, a round of betting is performed. FIG. 2, described below,illustrates the betting procedure that may lead to a number ofparticipants folding. After the round of betting 104 is complete, themethod proceeds to 120, where it is determined whether a predeterminednumber of cards have been provided. The predetermined number of cardsmay be any number of cards established prior to the beginning of thehand. For example, in some embodiments, the predetermined number ofcards may be between 5 and 9 cards. If the predetermined number of cardshas been provided at 120, the method proceeds to 122 where a winner isdetermined, as described below. If the predetermined number of cardshave not been provided, the method returns to 102 where at least oneplaying card is provided and the method repeats, as described above.

Next, at 122, a winner is determined. In some embodiments, the winner isthe participant who possesses a combination of playing cards (“a hand”)closest to a predetermined value of a combination of playing cards.

In some embodiments, the winning hand may be highest valued handpossessed by a participant in that round or the winning hand may be thelowest valued hand possessed by a participant in that round. In someembodiments, there may be two or more winning hands. For example, thetwo winning hands may comprise a first winning hand comprising thehighest value hand and a second winning hand comprising the lowestvalued hand.

A hand may comprise any predetermined number of playing cards, such as5, 7, 9, or the like. In some embodiments, such as embodiments wherecommunity cards are provided to participants, a winning hand maycomprise the highest valued combination of 5 playing cards selected froma group of at least one of the community cards or hole cards. In someembodiments, the winning hand may comprise the lowest valued combinationof 5 playing cards selected from a combination of hole and communitycards. In some embodiments there may be two winning hands, wherein onewinner possesses the highest valued combination of 5 playing cards andone winner possesses the lowest valued combination of 5 playing cards.

In some embodiments, the predetermined value of a group of cards isestablished according to the value of poker hands. For example, inembodiments where a standard 52 playing card deck is used, the value ofindividual hands may be determined as follows, in decreasing value:royal flush (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 of the same suit), straightflush (five consecutive cards of the same suit), four of a kind (fourcards having the same value), full house (three cards having one valueand two cards having a second value), flush (five cards of the samesuit), straight (five consecutive cards), three of a kind (three cardshaving the same value), two pair (two cards having the same first valueand two cards having the same second value), one pair (two cards havingthe same value), and the highest single value card.

In some embodiments, for example in embodiments of community card games,it may be predetermined how many cards of each group of community cardsor hole cards must be used to form a hand. For example, in someembodiments, each participant may only use 2 hole cards and 3 communitycards to form a 5 card hand, 1 hole card and 4 community cards to form a5 card hand, or the like. In some embodiments, each participant may useany combination of hole and community cards desired. For example, insome embodiments, each participant may use no hole cards and 5 communitycards to form a 5 card hand.

FIG. 2 illustrates the betting procedure performed during a round ofbetting 104 in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention. The round of betting 104 begins at 202, where a participantacts. The first participant to act in any given round may bepredetermined prior to the beginning of the round. For example, in someembodiments, the first participant to act may be the participant locatedto the immediate left of a dealer, or may be the second participant tothe left, the third to the left, or the like. In some embodiments, thefirst participant to act may be a different participant in each round.For example, in embodiments wherein the method conforms to a bettingstructure similar to Texas Hold'em or Omaha Hold'em a dealer positionmay be rotated around the playing table after each successive hand. Insuch embodiments, as the position of the dealer changes, the firstparticipant to act changes.

The participant has the option of choosing whether to place a bet, notplace a bet (“check”), or surrender his cards (“fold”). A participantchoosing to place a bet is required to place a bet in an amount equal to(“call”) or greater than (“raise”) any previous bet placed in that roundof betting. In some embodiments, a predetermined minimum amount of whicha participant may bet may be established. However, if no otherparticipants have placed a bet in that round of betting the actingparticipant may choose to not place a bet.

The method proceeds to 204, where it is determined whether a participantchooses to fold. A participant who chooses to fold surrenders any cardsprovided to that participant and forfeits the opportunity to participatein the remainder of that particular hand, in addition to forfeiting anybets previously made in the same hand. If the participant does not fold,the method proceeds to 216, described below.

At 206, a determination is made as to whether the participant who foldedcauses the round of betting to end. If the fold causes the round ofbetting to end 206, a determination is made as to whether theparticipant who folded causes the action of the hand to end at 208. Forexample, if the participant who chooses to fold is the last player inthe round to act, the round has ended. However, if by folding, thepossibility of any other participant acting (i.e., raising, betting,checking) for the rest of the hand is eliminated, the fold has furthercaused the action of the hand to end. If the fold has caused the actionof the hand to end 208, the method proceeds to 222 where a winner isdetermined. The winner may be determined in the same manner describedabove with respect to FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the winner may be theonly remaining participant who has not folded.

After the winner is determined at 222, the method proceeds to 224 wherea value of a remaining amount of community playing cards not alreadydealt to the participants is revealed to all of the participants. Theremaining amount of community playing cards may be any amount of playingcards that would have been dealt if action of the hand had not ended.For example, in embodiments where the method conforms to a bettingstructure similar to Texas Hold'em, a total of five community playingcards may be distributed within a single hand. In such embodiments, ifthe action of the hand ends prior to the distribution of any of the fivecommunity playing cards, then a value of all five community playingcards that would have been dealt if action of the hand had not ended arerevealed to all of the participants. Accordingly, in embodiments whereaction of the hand ends following the initial distribution of threecommunity playing cards (the “flop”) but prior to the distribution ofthe fourth community playing card (the “turn”), then a value of thefourth and fifth community playing card that would have been dealt ifaction of the hand had not ended is shown to all of the participants.

Optionally, in some embodiments, if the fold has caused the action ofthe hand to end 208, the folding participant must turn his face downcards (hole cards) face up, thereby exposing the value of the cards, at219.

Optionally, in some embodiments, if the fold has caused the action ofthe hand to end 208, all remaining participants, including theparticipant who has folded and caused the action in the hand to end,must turn their face down cards (hole cards) face up, thereby exposingthe value of the cards 220. In some embodiments, if the fold has causedthe action of the hand to end 208, all remaining participants, exceptfor the participant who has folded and caused the action in the hand toend, must turn their face down cards (hole cards) face up, therebyexposing the value of the cards 220.

However, if the fold does not cause the round of betting to stop 206, orif the fold causes the round of betting to stop, but has not ended theaction in the hand 208, then the method proceeds to 216.

Next, at 216, it is determined whether all the participants did act. Ifall of the participants have not acted, the method returns to 202 andthe next remaining participant acts, and the method, as discussed above,repeats. If all participants have acted, the method proceeds to 218,where it is determined whether all of the participants who are remaining(i.e., all the participants who have not chosen to fold) have bet thesame amount. In some embodiments, the total bet made by each participantmust be equal to that of the highest bet made in that round. If theanswer is no, the method returns to 202 where the next participant whohas not made a wager equal to that of the highest bet made that roundmust again act. Each participant is required to place a bet at leastequal to that of the highest bet made in that round or they must fold.The method then continues to 204 as described above. If all remainingparticipants have bet the same amount at 218, the method proceeds to 120as described above.

Within each round of betting 104, the method may repeat a number oftimes, causing each participant to act more than once. For example, thenumber of times may be a predetermined number, wherein once thepredetermined number is reached the participants are only allowed toplace a bet equal to that of the highest bet previously made.Alternatively, the number of times may not be predetermined and continueuntil all players bet the same amount or all but one player folds.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof. For example, the followingillustrates embodiments of the present invention as it may relate to acard game following the standard rules and betting structure of TexasHold'em.

The game is played with a standard 52 card deck. A minimum of twoparticipants (“players”) are required to play. Typically, a designatednon-participating person (“dealer”) distributes (“deals”) the cards tothe players and facilitates game play. However, players may also dealthe cards. A dealer designator (“button”) is rotated amongst the playersto virtually represent the dealer position, allowing the order of theplayers to change without having to require players to change placesaround the gaming table during game play.

The two players to the immediate left of the dealer are required toplace an initial bet. The first player to immediate left of the dealerplaces a “small blind”, that is, a bet of a lower amount than thepredetermined minimum. The second player to the immediate left of thedealer places a “big blind”, that is, a bet equal to that of thepredetermined minimum. In some embodiments, some or all players arerequired to place an initial bet that is equal to one another (“ante”).

Referring to FIG. 1, play begins at 102 with the dealer distributing(“dealing”) two cards to each player (“hole cards”), face down. Cardsare dealt one at a time in a clockwise fashion, starting with the playerwho places the initial small blind and ending with the player who sitsin the position where the button is placed.

Next at 104, a round of betting is performed, as described below inreference to FIG. 2. After the round of betting 104 is complete, themethod proceeds to 120. If a predetermined number of cards have beenprovided, the method proceeds to 122 where a winner is determined. Inthis particular example, the predetermined number of cards provided isfive community cards. Accordingly, since the predetermined number ofcards has not been provided (no community cards have been dealt), themethod 100 returns to 102 where the dealer deals three community cardsface up (“flop”). In some embodiments, the dealer may discard (“burn”)the first card from the top of the deck of cards prior to dealing theflop.

An additional round of betting 104 is then performed. Following thesecond round of betting 104, the method proceeds to 120. If apredetermined number of cards have been provided, the method proceeds to122 where a winner is determined. In this particular example, thepredetermined number of cards provided is five community cards.Accordingly, since the predetermined number of cards has not beenprovided (only three community cards have been dealt), the game returnsto 102 where the dealer deals a fourth community card face up (“turn”).In some embodiments, the dealer may discard (“burn”) the first card fromthe top of the deck of cards prior to dealing the turn.

An additional round of betting 104 is then performed. Following thethird round of betting 104, the method proceeds to 120. If apredetermined number of cards have been provided, the method proceeds to122 where a winner is determined. In this particular example, thepredetermined number of cards provided is five community cards.Accordingly, since the predetermined number of cards has not beenprovided (only four of the community cards have been dealt), the methodreturns to 102 where the dealer deals a fifth community card face up(“river”). In some embodiments, the dealer may discard (“burn”) thefirst card from the top of the deck of cards prior to dealing the turn.

An additional round of betting 104 is then performed. Following thefourth round of betting 104, the method proceeds to 120. If apredetermined number of cards have been provided, the method proceeds to122 where a winner is determined. In this particular example, thepredetermined number of cards provided is five community cards.Accordingly, since the predetermined number of cards have been providedthe method proceeds to 122 where a winner is determined.

The winner is the player who possesses the highest valued combination of5 cards, comprising any number of cards from the hole cards and thecommunity cards (flop, turn and river cards). For example, thecombination may be made from 1 of the player's hole cards and 4 of thecommunity cards, 2 of the player's hole cards and 3 of the communitycards, or none of the hole cards and 5 of the community cards.

The value of the combinations of cards is determined according to thestandard value structure of poker hands. For example, the value ofindividual hands may be determined as follows, in decreasing value:royal flush (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 of the same suit), straightflush (five consecutive cards of the same suit), four of a kind (fourcards having the same value), full house (three cards having one valueand two cards having a second value), flush (five cards of the samesuit), straight (five consecutive cards), three of a kind (three cardshaving the same value), two pair (two cards having the same first valueand two cards having the same second value), one pair (two cards havingthe same value), and the highest single value card.

Referring to FIG. 2, the round of betting 104 begins at 202 where afirst player acts. In the first round of betting the first player to actis the player to the immediate left of the player who placed the initialbig blind bet. In subsequent rounds (second, third and fourth), thefirst player to act is the player to the immediate left of the dealer.

The acting player has the option of choosing whether to place a bet, notplace a bet (“check”), or surrender his cards (“fold”). The first actingplayer choosing to place a bet is required to place a bet of a minimumpredetermined amount. Any subsequent acting player must then place a betequal to (“call”) or greater than (“raise”) any previous bet placed inthat round of betting. In some embodiments, a predetermined minimumamount of which a player may bet may be established. However, if noother players have placed a bet (e.g. all previous players have checked)in that round of betting the acting player may choose to not place abet, or check.

Next, at 204, it is determined whether the player has chosen to fold. Ifthe player does not fold, the method proceeds to 216, described below. Aplayer who chooses to fold 204 surrenders any cards provided to thatplayer and forfeits the opportunity to participate in the remainder ofthat particular hand, in addition to forfeiting any bets previously madein the same hand.

If the fold causes the round of betting to end at 206, a determinationis made as to whether the player who folded causes the action of thehand to end 208. For example, if the player who chooses to fold is thelast player in the round to act, the round has ended. However, if byfolding, the possibility of any other player acting (i.e., raising,betting, checking) is eliminated for the remainder of the hand, the foldhas further caused the action of the hand to end. If the fold has causedthe action of the hand to end 208, the method proceeds to 222 where awinner is determined. The winner may be determined in the same mannerdescribed above with respect to FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the winneris the only remaining player who has not folded.

After the winner is determined at 222, the method proceeds to 224 wherea value of a remaining amount of community playing cards not alreadydealt to the players is revealed to all of the players. The remainingamount of community playing cards may be any amount of playing cardsthat would have been dealt if action of the hand had not ended. Forexample, a total of five community playing cards may be distributedwithin a single hand. If the action of the hand ends prior to thedistribution of any of the five community playing cards, then a value ofall five community playing cards that would have been dealt if action ofthe hand had not ended are revealed to all of the players. Accordingly,if action of the hand ends following the initial distribution of threecommunity playing cards (the “flop”) but prior to the distribution ofthe fourth community playing card (the “turn”), then a value of thefourth and fifth community playing card that would have been dealt ifaction of the hand had not ended is shown to all of the players.

Optionally, in some embodiments, if the fold has caused the action ofthe hand to end 208, the folding player must turn his face down cards(hole cards) face up, thereby exposing the value of the cards, at 219.

Optionally, in some embodiments, if the fold has caused the action ofthe hand to end 208, all remaining players, including the player who hasfolded and caused the action in the hand to end, must turn their facedown cards (hole cards) face up, thereby exposing the value of the cards220. In some embodiments, if the fold has caused the action of the handto end 208, all remaining players, except for the player who has foldedand caused the action in the hand to end, must turn their face downcards (hole cards) face up, thereby exposing the value of the cards 220.

However, if the fold does not cause the round of betting to stop 206, orif the fold causes the round of betting to stop, but has not ended theaction in the hand 208, then the method proceeds to 216.

Next, at 216, it is determined whether all the players did act. If allof the players have not acted, the next remaining player acts 202, andthe game, as discussed above, repeats. If all players have acted, it isdetermined whether all of the players who are remaining (i.e., all theplayers who have not chosen to fold) have bet the same amount 218. Ifall remaining players have not bet the same amount, the next player whohas not made a wager equal to that of the highest bet made that roundmust again act 202. Each player is required to place a bet at leastequal to that of the highest bet made in that round or they must fold.The method then continues as described above. If all remaining playershave bet the same amount the game proceeds to 120 as described above.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

1. A method of playing a card game, comprising: a) providing at leastone playing card to each of at least two participants to begin a hand;b) performing at least one round of betting, wherein each of the atleast one round of betting comprises each of the at least twoparticipants successively choosing between placing a bet, not placing abet or surrendering the at least one playing card; and c) determining atleast one winning participant, wherein if a participant choosing tosurrender the at least one playing card causes action in the hand toend, then a value of a remaining amount of a predetermined number of atleast one community playing card is revealed to the at least twoparticipants.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing at least oneplaying card to each of the at least two participants comprises:positioning the at least one playing card so that the value of the atleast one playing card is visible only to a respective one of the atleast two participants.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein a participantsurrendering the at least one playing card surrenders the at least oneplaying card without revealing a value of the at least one playing card,unless the participant surrendering the at least one playing card causesaction in the hand to end, then each remaining participant of the atleast two participants must reveal the value of the at least one playingcard to the at least two participants.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: d) providing at least one of the at least one communityplaying cards to the at least two participants; e) performing at leastone round of betting, wherein the round of betting comprises each of theat least two participants successively choosing between placing a bet,not placing a bet or surrendering the at least one playing card; whereind)-e) occurs between b) and c).
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein d)-e)is repeated at least one time.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein aparticipant surrendering the at least one playing card surrenders the atleast one playing card without revealing a value of the at least oneplaying card, unless the participant surrendering the at least oneplaying card causes action in the hand to end, then each remainingparticipant of the at least two participants must reveal the value ofthe at least one playing card to the at least two participants.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the at least one community playing cardcomprises five community playing cards.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the at least one winning participant is an only one of the atleast two participants who did not surrender the at least one playingcard.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one winningparticipant possesses a highest predetermined value of a combination ofplaying cards.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the highestpredetermined value of a combination of playing cards comprises at leastfive playing cards selected from a group of at least one of the at leastone playing card and the at least one community playing card.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein selected from a group of at least one of theat least one playing card and the at least one community playing carddoes not comprise selecting one of the remaining amount of the at leastone community playing card revealed to the at least two participants 12.The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one winning participantpossesses a lowest predetermined value of a combination of playingcards.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the lowest predeterminedvalue of a combination of playing cards comprises at least five playingcards selected from a group of at least one of the at least one playingcard and the at least one community playing card.
 14. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one winning participant comprises twowinning participants wherein a first winning participant possesses ahighest predetermined value of a combination of playing cards and asecond winning participant possesses a lowest predetermined value of acombination of playing cards.
 15. A method of playing a card game,comprising: a) playing a standard poker game comprising at least onecommunity card until one of at least two participants causes hand toend; and b) upon one of the at least two participants causing the handto end, a value of a remaining amount of the at least one community cardnot previously revealed is revealed to the at least two participants.16. The method of claim 15, wherein b) further comprises: requiring eachremaining participant of the at least two participants to reveal a valueof at least one playing card provided to each remaining participant ofthe at least two participants.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein thestandard poker game comprises at least one of Texas Hold'em or OmahaHold'em.
 18. A method of playing a poker card game with fifty-twoconventional playing cards, comprising: designating a dealer, a firstplayer adjacent to the dealer for placing a first bet, and a secondplayer adjacent to the first player for placing a second bet for a handto be played; the dealer dealing two hole cards, face-down, to each of aplurality of players; requiring each of the plurality of players,beginning with a third player adjacent to the second player andcontinuing clockwise among all of the plurality of players, afterviewing only their respective hole cards, to participate in a firstround of betting; wherein the first round of betting comprises requiringeach of the plurality of players to select from a plurality of decisionsincluding, placing a minimum bet, raising by betting an amount greaterthan a highest preceding amount bet by another of the plurality ofplayers during the first round of betting, or folding by surrenderingthe respective hole cards, and wherein if a player choosing to surrenderthe respective hole cards causes action in the hand to stop, then awinner is determined and a value of five community playing cards isrevealed to the plurality of players, wherein the winner is an only oneof the plurality of players who did not surrender the respective holecards; if at least two of the plurality of players remain in the hand,the dealer dealing three of the five community cards face-up, whereineach community card is usable by any of the plurality of playersremaining in the hand to form a five card poker hand; requiring each ofthe plurality of players remaining in the hand, beginning with a firstremaining player to the left of the dealer and continuing clockwiseamong the plurality of players remaining in the hand to participate in asecond round of betting; wherein the second round of betting comprisesrequiring each of the plurality of players remaining in the hand toselect from a plurality of decisions including, checking by indicatingno bet is to be placed, placing a minimum bet, raising by betting anamount greater than a highest preceding amount bet by another one of theplurality of players during the second round of betting, or folding bysurrendering the respective hole cards, and wherein if a player choosingto surrender the respective hole cards causes action in the hand tostop, then a winner is determined and a value of a remaining two of thefive community playing cards is revealed to the plurality of players,wherein the winner is an only one of the plurality of players who didnot surrender the respective hole cards; if at least two of theplurality of players remain in the hand, the dealer dealing a fourthcommunity card of the five community cards face-up, wherein eachcommunity card is usable by any of the plurality of players remaining inthe hand to form a five card poker hand; requiring each of the pluralityof players remaining in the hand, beginning with the first remainingplayer to the left of the dealer and continuing clockwise among all ofthe plurality of players remaining in the hand to participate in a thirdround of betting; wherein the third round of betting comprises requiringeach of the plurality of players remaining in the hand to select from aplurality of decisions including, checking by indicating no bet is to beplaced, placing a minimum bet, raising by betting an amount greater thana highest preceding amount bet by another one of the plurality ofplayers during the third round of betting, or folding by surrenderingthe respective hole cards, and wherein if a player choosing to surrenderthe respective hole cards causes action in the hand to stop, then awinner is determined and a value of a remaining one of the fivecommunity playing cards is revealed to the plurality of players, whereinthe winner is an only one of the plurality of players who did notsurrender the respective hole cards; if at least two of the plurality ofplayers remain in the hand, the dealer dealing a fifth community cardface-up, wherein each community card is usable by any of the pluralityof players remaining in the hand to form a five card poker hand;requiring each of the plurality of players remaining in the hand,beginning with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer andcontinuing clockwise among all of the plurality of players remaining inthe hand to participate in a fourth round of betting; and wherein thefourth round of betting comprises requiring each of the plurality ofplayers remaining in the hand to select from a plurality of decisionsincluding, checking by indicating no bet is to be placed, placing aminimum bet, raising by betting an amount greater than a highestpreceding amount bet by another one of the plurality of players duringthe fourth round of betting, or folding by surrendering the respectivehole cards and wherein if a player choosing to surrender the respectivehole cards causes action in the hand to stop, then a winner isdetermined and a value of a remaining one of the five community playingcards is revealed to the plurality of players, wherein the winner is anonly one of the plurality of players who did not surrender therespective hole cards; and if at least two of the plurality of playersremain in the hand, determining a winner of the hand by comparing arespective poker hand of each of the plurality of players remaining inthe hand to one another according to a predetermined poker rankingsystem, wherein the respective poker hand of each of the plurality ofplayers remaining in the hand comprises five cards selected from atleast one of the respective hole cards or the five community cards. 19.The method of claim 18, wherein the second, third and fourth round ofbetting further comprises: requiring a player choosing to check to placea bet equal to that of a subsequent bet made in the round of betting.20. The method of claim 18, wherein the player surrendering therespective hole cards surrenders the respective hole cards withoutrevealing a value of the at least one playing card, unless the playersurrendering the at least one playing card causes action in the hand toend, then each remaining player of the plurality of players must revealthe value of the at least one playing card to the plurality of players.